5 Abridged Anime That Up the Ante for the Originals

Let’s face it — dubbed anime generally gets trashed by the die-hard otaku community in favor of subtitles. But there are plenty of cases when a dubbed anime gives the original a run for its money. Even some officially dubbed series are widely beloved by fans, possibly more so than their Japanese dubbed counterparts, with extreme such as Ghost Stories literally flipping the script. Whether it’s poking fun at the original material or elevating it, there are fan-dubbed abridged series out there that are crafted with some amount of appreciation for the chosen franchise.

From classic older anime to shiny new ones, the art of creating a fanmade abridged series isn’t just a hobby. To some, it’s a labor of love. With clever jokes, revamped character personalities, running gags, and even entire plots flipped on their heads, there’s plenty of abridged anime out there that give certain series a new life. Whether it’s an individual who just wants to make something funny or a whole team of talented editors and voice actors, these abridged anime are definitely worth taking a break from your regular binging to explore.

Hellsing Ultimate Abridged

Created by Team Four Star, Hellsing Ultimate Abridged puts a hilarious spin on the cast of the Hellsing Ultimate series. While the original story and protagonist are steeped in the dark world of monster-fighting action and supernatural horror, the abridged series’ humor is just as dark. Keeping with the plot of Alucard the vampire ironically killing monsters for the Hellsing army, the abridged version has him just as enthusiastic about his work, if not more so.

Alucard enjoys his work as though killing a multitude of supernatural enemies was synonymous with an all-inclusive vacation to Disney World. Working alongside his fellow vampire servant Seras Victoria he affectionately refers to as “Police Girl”, the witty banter Alucard boasts is not just limited to his enemies but is also doled out to his superiors like Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing herself. This abridged series will have you wishing officially licensed franchises were bold enough to write such confidently explicit quips.

Sword Art Online Abridged

Sword Art Online is a bit of a divisive series among the otaku community with some being die-hard fans and some writing the series off as just another virtual reality isekai with a bland main character. But whether you’re a fan of the original series or not, let’s face it, SAO (Sword Art Online) Abridged Parody, or Sword Art Online Abridged, is what the original material should’ve been. Created by the talented team of Something Witty Entertainment with the YouTube channel of the same name, SAO Abridged is a more humorous, possibly more relatable, take on what would actually happen if a bunch of video game nerds were trapped in a virtual reality MMORPG.

The original Sword Art Online lays the drama on thick when the characters in the game realize they’ll be fighting for their lives. The abridged version, however, doesn’t shy away from the idea that not everyone would have the same reaction of complete despondency to the unfortunate news. SAO Abridged asserts the idea that, if there is a virtual reality platform, there will absolutely be netizens who are just there to troll. Unfortunately for the innocent players, Kirito, in this version, is one of the said trolls. Though he does rise to the challenge of overcoming the dangers of SAO’s virtual world, he does so while openly ridiculing those around him. Despite his love interest, Asuna, recognizing his arrogance as a product of his lack of social skills and fragile self-consciousness, she doesn’t shy away from doling out the snark right back at him, oddly making them perfect for each other.

50% OFF

In the original series Free! Iwatabi Swim Club, a group of friends, Haruka Nanase, Nagisa Hazuki, and Makoto Tachibana, reunite in high school to form the swim team they once had in elementary school. That is, without their fourth friend, Rin Matsuoka, who only cares about showing up Haruka as the better swimmer. After recruiting Rei Ryuugazaki as their fourth member, the swim team is ready to take on the swim tournament and the rivalry between Haruka and Rin.

50% OFF depicts these swim enthusiasts as a bit too passionate about their hobby. With witty writing in contrast to what would otherwise be a typical sports anime, Octopimp and sparkytheandroid managed to recreate the character interactions with some hilarious personality quirks. Here, Haruka’s inner monologue is more than passionate about swimming, Makoto is more than passionate about Haruka, Rin is more than passionate about beating Haruka even though he can’t even tie his shoes, Rei is passionate about dying, and Nagisa… Well, Nagisa, despite his cutesy appearance, is a thug with a long list of crimes including but not limited to vandalism, drug trafficking, murder, and the illegal breeding of rockhopper penguins.

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Code MENT

PurpleEyesWTF, the creator of Code MENT, or officially Code Geass AbridgeMENT, takes the concept of creating a parody a step further. Diverging the storyline of the original material, in this case, Code Geass, this abridged series follows the original plot so loosely it may as well be considered to have created its own — a parody of a parody if you will.

The original story follows an alternate universe where Lelouch Lamperouge uses the power of Geass, the ability to command others to do his will, to exact revenge on the royal lineage and empire that exiled him. While the show depicts Lelouch as intelligent and sophisticated, the plot as serious and dramatic, and the action as high-stakes, the abridged series takes plenty of leniency and throws the entire narrative out the window in favor of good ol’ humor for humor’s sake.

DragonBall Z Abridged

As the original Dragon Ball Z series continues the adventures of Son Goku living his best life with his family, he finds himself in the midst of fighting new enemies. Goku, a descendant of the powerful but virtually extinct Saiyan race, had been originally sent to earth to destroy it. But upon getting amnesia, he instead fights to protect others. When a new enemy, Raditz, tells Goku he’s his long-lost brother and tries recruiting him, Goku refuses but is warned of an impending war coming to earth in search of the Dragon Balls, magical objects that, when gathered together, can grant a singular wish. Now that Goku has his own family, his son, Gohan, is thrown into the fight to protect Earth.

Another gem produced by Team Four Star, Dragon Ball Z Abridged takes the plot and characters and not only leans into the original show’s humorous side, but turns the dial up by several dozen notches. With so many planets, aliens, and fights, the crazy possibilities of humorous adventures are endless. Had other projects of theirs, like the hilarious one-shot for Attack on Titan Abridged been similarly long-lived, they too would feature on this list.

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Let us know in the comments if you have a favorite abridged series that any anime fan should check out!